The accumulation of large amounts of snow and ice upon a rooftop or upon the horizontal surfaces of an aircraft may pose a serious structural threat to the structure which supports a roof and to the airframe of an aircraft. Furthermore, all snow and ice must be removed from an aircraft prior to a flight. It is therefore desirable to periodically remove snow and ice from a roof top or an aircraft to prevent the accumulation of potentially destructive amounts of snow and ice.
One method of removing snow and ice from an inclined surface such as a roof is to provide heating elements in the roof. Such heating elements are quite capable of melting any accumulation of snow or ice that may be deposited upon the exemplary surfaces and are also capable of keeping those same surfaces clear and dry of snow and ice. However, there is a significant energy requirement for operating heating elements over the large surface areas of a rooftop.
Another method for removing snow from surfaces such as an aircraft is to apply a de-icing compound to the snow or ice that has accumulated on the aircraft. A de-icing compound essentially lowers the freezing temperature of the water which makes up the snow and ice which is accumulated on the aircraft, thereby melting the ice and snow. One drawback to using de-icing compounds to remove ice and snow from an aircraft is that de-icing compounds may be very costly. Another drawback to the use of de-icing compounds is that de-icing compounds may not be environmentally friendly.
Yet another means for removing ice and snow from a roof or aircraft is a bladed scraping instrument commonly known as a snow rake. Typically a snow rake is comprised of a blade that is attached in a normal relationship to a handle. The blade of a snow rake is used to scrape snow or ice from the roof or aircraft surface upon which snow and ice has accumulated. Generally, snow rakes are relatively inexpensive. However, a snow rake may severely damage a roof surface or aircraft when the blade is dragged across the surfaces. What is more, the use of snow rakes may be difficult and strenuous as a user must pull snow and ice from a surface upon which it has accumulated by main force.
Therefore, it is the objective of this invention to provide an apparatus for removing snow from a roof top or the horizontal surfaces of an airplane which is inexpensive, easy to use, environmentally friendly, and which will not damage the surface from which snow and/or ice is being removed.